Wrecking bar



June 26, 1962 R. N. SANDERS WRECKING BAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1959 Ra/ph N. Sanders INVENTOR.

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Ammqs BYE and June 26, 1962 R. N. SANDERS 3,041,042

WRECKING BAR Filed Aug. 10, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 46 Raw/1 N Sanders INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,041,042 WRECKING BAR Ralph N. Sanders, 908 W. Maple, Columbus, Kans. Filed Aug. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 832,623 4 Claims. ((11. 254-130) This invention relates to tools and more particularly to a wrecking bar.

The principal purpose of the invention is to provide a tool to facilitate dismantling lumber.

Some of the features of the invention are that it reduces the amount of time required to perform a given amount of work since the bar is much faster to use than a conventional type wrecking bar.

The wrecking bar practically eliminates loss of lumber by splitting due to the fact that the bar applies equal pressure across the full width of the board being removed. The conventional bar brings pressure only to bear on a small area of the board which is being removed. Accordingly, the board is placed under a very high stress in a localized area and this causes it to split.

Another feature of the invention is its adaptability. It may be used in many places where a conventional wrecking bar cannot. For example in small corners, from the back side, by pushing or pulling lumber from any type of framework, the wrecking bar achieves a versatility which is heretofore unknown.

A further important feature of the wrecking bar is its adaptability found in increasing the width of the pressure foot. The wrecking bar may be worked faster on any width or any thickness and the bar is so constructed that it may have additional length which would enable the bar to be used on any size board.

As indicated previously the wrecking bar may be used from either the left or the right hand side of the bar simply by sliding a pin to the correct position.

Another feature of the wrecking bar is found in the pressure foot which can be applied either to the toe or the heel of the bar, thus making it more adaptable for use in close places.

Accordingly, a further object of the invention is to provide a wrecking bar which is far more adaptable and useful than wrecking bars that are ordinarily used.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the wrecking bar showing it being used in one capacity.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the wrecking bar being used in another capacity i.e. being lifted as opposed to being depressed in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged broken sectional View taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an exploded perspective view showing all of the parts of the wrecking bar and showing one set of parts in dotted lines to illustrate reverses in positions of the two pins and pressure foot.

In the accompanying drawings reference is first made to FIGURES l and 2. Board is shown attached to a stud 12, this being, of course, but one possible way that a board can be secured to another board or wooden member. Experienced Wreckers are familiar with many different situations where a wrecking bar must be used and therefore the illustrations in FIGURES l and 2 are merely diagrammatic and representative of these various "ice types of situations both usual and unusual which call for the use of a wrecking bar.

Wrecking bar 14 is in the form of a bell crank lever having one end portion formed to provide an elongate handle 16 having a wedge end 18 which is, of itself, conventional. The improvement in the wrecking bar is found in the working end 18 thereof. This working end is made preferably of fiat stock with an arm 20 protruding at approximately right angles from handle 16 (FIGURE 5). There are two openings or bores 24 and 26 at the extremity and heel of arm 20 respectively. These bores cooperate with the surrounding material of arm 20 to form eyes'28 and 30. Spring-pressed ball detents 32 and 34 are carried by the eyes and are adapted to engage circumferential grooves 38, 40 and 42' which are in pivot and fulcrum pins 44 and 46, respectively.

Pin 44 is shorter than pin 46 for reasons which have already been mentioned and which will be reviewed subsequently. The pins are of such diameter as to fit snugly within bores 24 and 26 (see' FIGURES 3 and 4) and the rest positions of the pins are established by the detents engaging in the annular grooves 38, 40 and 42.

Pressure foot 49 is U-shaped in cross-section and has a pair of triangular sides 50 and 52 connected by an essentially rectangular cross member or plate 54 integral with a corresponding edge of each triangular side 50 and 52. There is a pair of apertures 53 and 60 at the apical portion of triangular sides 50 and 52 in order to receive the extremities of one of the pins when the pressure foot is engaged with arm 20 and held pivotally coupled thereto by one of the pins.

As shown in FIGURE 5 the pins 44 and 46 are interchangeable between eyes 28 and 30 thereby enabling the longer pin 46 which is a fulcrum pin, to be positioned at the outer end of the arm 20 (FIGURE 2) or at the juncture of arm 20 with handle 16 (FIGURE 1). Only two of the many possible reasons for having this interchange are graphically illustrated in FIGURES l and 2. When used as a device to remove board 10 from stud 12 by a downward force, the longer pin 46 is snapped into eye 30 and bears against one face of stud 12, while the pressure foot 52 is fitted against the back surface of board 10. But, when it is desired to remove board 10 by lifting upwardly, the longer fulcrum pin 46 is snapped into eye 28 and the fulcrum pin is placed on the same surface of stud 12 as before (FIGURE 1). However, the handle 16 now projects from the opposite face of board 10 and it requires a lifting force to remove the board 10. The fulcrum pin 44 is also slidable in the eye 28 or 30 to project from either side of the bar or lever 14. It is quite evident that pin 44 constitutes a pivot for the pressure foot and that pin 44 is easily removed by simply snapping it out of eye 28 or eye 30 depending on which eye that the pin 44 occupies.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A wrecking bar comprising a bell crank lever having openings in one end portion and in the angle thereof, relatively long and short pins removably mounted in the openings, said long pin being engageable with a support and providing a fulcrum thereon for the lever, a pressure foot removably mounted on the short pin and engageable with the work, said pins being interchangeable for seleca tively positioning the fulcrum and the pressure foot at said one end portion or said angle of said lever, and means for releasably securing the pins in the openings.

2. A wrecking bar comprising a bell crank lever having openings in one end portion and in the angle thereof, relatively long and short pins removably mounted in the openings, said long pin being engageable with a support and providing a fulcrum thereon for the lever, a pressure foot removably mounted on the short pin and engageable with the work, said pins being interchangeable for selectively positioning the fulcrum and the pressure foot at said one end portion or said angle of said lever, and means for releasably securing the pins in the openings, said pins having circumferential grooves therein, said means including spring-pressed ball detents mounted in the lever and engageable in the grooves.

3. A wrecking bar comprising a bell crank lever having openings in one end portion and in the angle thereof, a removable fulcrum pin and a removable pivot pin mounted in said openings, said fulcrum pin being slidably adjustable in said openings for engagement with a support on either side of the lever, a removable pressure foot on said pivot pin engageable with the Work, said pins being interchangeable for selectively positioning the fulcrum pin and the pressure foot at said one end portion or said angle of said lever, and means for releasably securing the pins in position in the openings.

4. A wrecking bar comprising a bell crank lever having openings in one end portion and in the angle thereof, a removable fulcrum pin insertable selectively in the openings and slidably adjustable therein for engagement with a support on either side of the lever, a removable pivot pin insertable selectively in the openings, a removable pressure foot on said pivot pin engageable with the work, and means for releasably securing the pins in position in the openings, said fulcrum pin having circumferential grooves in its end portions, said pivot pin having a circumferential groove in an intermediate portion thereof, said means comprising spring-pressed ball detents mounted in the lever and engageable in the grooves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,455,019 Cameron May 15, 1923 1,502,528 Reulbach July 22, 1924 1,618,851 Thunberg et al Feb. 22, 1927 2,502,271 Parker Mar. 28, 1950 2,674,184 Forbes Apr. 6, 1954 2,910,271 Keehn Oct. 27, 1959 2,929,609 Graef Mar. 22, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,711 Canada .4 Mar. 3, 1959 

